0:00:03 > 0:00:06Today the Antiques Roadshow is back in Portsmouth -
0:00:06 > 0:00:08a town steeped in naval history
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and home to Britain's most famous battleship, the Victory.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Some 18,000 men made up the British Fleet
0:00:15 > 0:00:17at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and 3,000 of those were Royal Marines, the sea soldiers,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24fully trained to handle the artillery.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And their casualties were high, as they were up on the top deck,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30facing musket balls and the cannons.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35It was a defining moment in the history of the Corps,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38which this year celebrates its 350th anniversary.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from Portsmouth.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Just along the coast from Portsmouth Harbour
0:01:27 > 0:01:28is the suburb of Southsea
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and the former Royal Marines Eastney Barracks,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and this is where we're holding our Roadshow today.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37The barracks were opened in the 1860s
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and this rather grand building used to house the officers' mess.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Since the 1970s, it's been home to the Royal Marines Museum
0:01:44 > 0:01:45and is packed with artefacts
0:01:45 > 0:01:48from the service's history on land and at sea.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The Marines date back to 1664, a time of nonstop disputes
0:01:55 > 0:01:57between kings and countries,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and many of those battles were fought at sea,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03so those with the strongest navies were the victors.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09So Charles II ordered 1,200 land soldiers to be forthwith raised,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13to be in readiness to be distributed amongst His Majesty's Fleet
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and prepared for sea service.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Marines are nicknamed "bootnecks".
0:02:23 > 0:02:28In the 18th century, they would wear a splendid uniform like this
0:02:28 > 0:02:34- thank you - and the nickname comes from this leather stock,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37or tongue, they would wear under their collar like this.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Imagine! It must have been so uncomfortable,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42to keep their neck upright and proud.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Thank you.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47These days, their uniforms are a little more practical.
0:02:51 > 0:02:547,000 officers and men make up the Royal Marine Corps,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57all commandos, all wearing the coveted green beret.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Their last appointment was to Afghanistan,
0:03:00 > 0:03:01where they served nine tours of duty.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04And Eastney Barracks closed in 1991
0:03:04 > 0:03:07but the museum is still very much operational
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and makes a great backdrop for us today.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11And don't forget, if you want to play along at home,
0:03:11 > 0:03:17press red on your remote control, or go to...
0:03:17 > 0:03:19..on your computer or your smartphone,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21to play along with our valuation game.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Well, I have to admit that,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30when I knew I was coming to Southsea, I didn't actually assume
0:03:30 > 0:03:35that I would come across a couple of sea sprites of sorts,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37so my question is, how did these two arrive
0:03:37 > 0:03:39in this part of the world?
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Well, they belong to my mother
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and prior to that, they were my grandmother's,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48and she brought them back from China, from when they lived there.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50They came back in about 1938.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53OK, well, that would make a certain amount of sense,
0:03:53 > 0:03:58because this is a design on a box by the great Rene Lalique,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02and what do you think it was used for?
0:04:02 > 0:04:04We believe it was a sweetie dish.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It sat on the sideboard in my grandmother's house.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- That's a lovely idea, but I'm not quite sure.- It's not?- No.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I think it would be the height of decadence
0:04:11 > 0:04:14to take a jelly baby out of something like this.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16- It's actually a powder box. - Oh, right.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19This is, without question, my favourite Lalique design
0:04:19 > 0:04:21because let's have a look at the box itself.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23First of all, you've got a glass base.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Sometimes you get these with a card base,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27but when you've got a glass base, it's all the better.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Now the design. Excuse me, can I bring you forward, Mademoiselle?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Because the reason I've got this lady is to show - for the benefit
0:04:34 > 0:04:37of the people at home - it's just a magical, magical design,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41because the actual decoration - this is all polished smooth, isn't it?
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Yes.- So the decoration is behind, look.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47So it's moulded in relief.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50And this is an opalescent technique. It's very clever,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55because he mixes - thank you very much - he mixes into the glass
0:04:55 > 0:04:59a couple of fluorites which act as a pacifying agent.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03And a little bit of blue cobalt to give it a bluish tinge,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- and that glass actually becomes very cloudy.- Oh, right.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11So, date-wise, well, this appears in their 1932 catalogue,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14so 1938 works out quite nicely.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Um, well, it's quite a nice item to own,
0:05:17 > 0:05:23because I don't think I could easily go out and buy one of these
0:05:23 > 0:05:25for less than £3,500 to £4,000.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Oh, goodness!
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Well, it's still my mother's, and she'll be very pleased with that!
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Can I ask you a leading question?
0:05:33 > 0:05:34- What's that? - Do you have a sister?
0:05:34 > 0:05:39I do! Unfortunately, maybe!
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Yeah, my lips are sealed. So remember, not a word, OK?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- You have children?- I do.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Did you - when they were little - put them in these caps?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I've only owned them for a few years.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Oh. Where did you get them from?
0:05:57 > 0:06:01- My husband found them for me at a car-boot sale.- Really?
0:06:01 > 0:06:05He knows I always have an interest in anything Oriental
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and I am a keen embroiderer, although very amateurish at it,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and he just felt that the two interests were combined
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- in these beautiful items.- Absolutely.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16Do you know what he had to pay for them?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20I think it was about £15 for the two.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21I see.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Do you know what they are?
0:06:24 > 0:06:29I assume they're from China, or that part of the world.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31I'd assume one is for children,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- the other maybe children or small adults.- Right.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36And that's it, that's the extent of my knowledge!
0:06:36 > 0:06:39OK. Well, you're perfectly right.
0:06:39 > 0:06:46They are the work, probably, of the mother of the children.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- Non-professional, but highly skilled.- Yes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55This one, I think, is probably for a boy
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and that one, I think, is probably for a girl.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And the interesting thing is that these,
0:07:02 > 0:07:07which date from probably the middle of the 19th century,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11- so they've got a lot of age to them...- Oh, wow!
0:07:11 > 0:07:16..of course kept the baby's head warm, but more importantly,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20it protected the child from evil spirits.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Hence the symbols on it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27The symbols. It's absolutely dense with symbolism.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32What you've got here is a tiger,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and if you turn it round,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39you can see the tiger's stripes.
0:07:41 > 0:07:47And the face has got whiskers, it's got ears - which in this case,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49and I've never seen this,
0:07:49 > 0:07:54- we've got mice in his ears, which is a brilliant idea.- They are amazing.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Yeah. I think that's terrific.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01This one is even better, really.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06We've got on the back, up here,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09this, which just looks like a sort of scrollery stuff,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12is actually lingzhi fungus
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and that's the symbol of long life,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18so that's wishing the child long life.
0:08:18 > 0:08:24And here we've got the character "shou" in seal form,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and that means "happiness".
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So the whole thing makes sense.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32You can read it like a book, really.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Er...
0:08:36 > 0:08:43I think your husband's £15 were well spent.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47They're unusual, they're in perfect condition,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50there are collectors of these.
0:08:50 > 0:08:57I think this one would probably sell for around £100-£150
0:08:57 > 0:09:00and that one, perhaps,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03£150 to £250.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- Oh, my goodness! - So well done, hubby!- Yes!
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Thank you very much for bringing them in.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Not at all, thank you.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21This must be one of the smallest table desks I've ever seen.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Sweet little thing. Now, you tell me a little bit about it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28When I first came down here, this was sort of 30 or 40 years ago,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32I used to love auctions, and I found this, and I love walnut
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and because I don't know what it is, it fascinates me.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Oh, lots of things,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40the sort of secret drawer and the religious motif
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and no-one can quite tell me what it is, so I hope you can do that.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Ah, right, well, we'll look at all those things gradually.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50You mention walnut, and there is indeed
0:09:50 > 0:09:53some lovely burr walnut here, more walnut there,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55in fact, most of it is walnut.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It's got the shape, as I said, of a little table desk
0:09:59 > 0:10:01with the slant front and of a sort
0:10:01 > 0:10:04that sometimes people used to call Bible boxes.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08But Bible boxes were never necessarily for bibles.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10They were little desks, little reading desks.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13But what I find extremely interesting about this
0:10:13 > 0:10:17is that it has the ripple moulding that you've got all round the edges.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- Yes.- Which is very much a 17th-century feature.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23And if I turn it round and we look at the back,
0:10:23 > 0:10:28what I immediately thought about was 17th-century cabinets,
0:10:28 > 0:10:3017th-century Dutch cabinets in particular,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34these twisted columns which are supposed to have come
0:10:34 > 0:10:38from the Temple of Solomon originally, a very Baroque feature.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42You don't often get the backs of these little desks decorated.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44And then it gets even more interesting.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48So if you turn it round, and open it up,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51if I can do this, there we go,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54it's even prettier inside.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56They're lovely hinges, aren't they?
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Delightful, cut-out hinges, more ripple moulding,
0:11:00 > 0:11:01fretwork here.
0:11:01 > 0:11:07- Oh, look, that's interesting, so you can close the mirror.- Yes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10A little mirror, a little sort of dressing mirror
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and drawers that you can put all sorts of little treasures in.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17And you said it had a secret drawer, so now where is that?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21You have to take the key out, and then the front lifts up,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25usually fairly easily, and then it has a...
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Oh, I see. It's quite secret, isn't it?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- And another part there. - Well, that's excellent.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Now, just slot that one in again.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38I have to say that, looking at all these things together,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41it doesn't quite all add up to me.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44All the bits are wonderful.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48All the bits, I think, are from a 17th-century cabinet.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51But I think it's been put together in the 19th century.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- How interesting.- When the whole antiquities or antiques trade
0:11:56 > 0:12:00was beginning to kick off, and I think this could very well have been
0:12:00 > 0:12:05made in the 19th century, to deceive.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07How very interesting. Where would this have been done?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09This was certainly done in London, in England,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11and it was done all over Europe.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14This could well have been done in England.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Is this a surprise to you?
0:12:16 > 0:12:20I've honestly known so little, and I've asked quite a lot of people
0:12:20 > 0:12:23of various degrees of expertise, and some said it's early German.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Nothing surprises me, I'm just fascinated.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Well, there's one other interesting thing at the back.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33There is a medallion with St John the Baptist on,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38and I think that's been added to make it even more special,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40so it's fascinating!
0:12:40 > 0:12:43I'm not sure what you paid for it.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45I mean, not a lot, I mean probably
0:12:45 > 0:12:47in the order of £20 or something like this.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Right, quite a lot of money 30 years ago.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Now, because it slightly falls between two schools,
0:12:52 > 0:12:58I would think that I'd have to put a fairly broad valuation on it,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and so, between £500 and £1,000.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04It's a lovely, pretty little thing.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06If it was all 17th-century,
0:13:06 > 0:13:11it would be worth a great deal more than that, but it's lovely as it is.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Well, I think there's nowhere it's going, and it's small enough,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- and the children will love to have it in due course.- Excellent.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26Well, I have to say I've never seen anything like it before in my life.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29It has to be a unique piece of silver.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I mean, how on earth did that end up here with the Royal Marines?
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Now, you - as the curator of the Royal Marines Museum -
0:13:37 > 0:13:39I hope will be able to help me with that.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Well, this was presented to William Wood in 1868.
0:13:43 > 0:13:49He actually took command of the 36 Middlesex Rifle Volunteers in 1860
0:13:49 > 0:13:51and commanded them for their first eight years of existence,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and they were obviously quite impressed with what he'd done
0:13:54 > 0:13:57for them, so they presented him with this very elaborate piece.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01This has been in the museum collection for about 50 years
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and before that it was regimental property,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07so Wood, on his death, presumably presented this back to the Corps.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10From a historical point of view, it's absolutely fascinating.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13I mean, extraordinary, with them doing target practice
0:14:13 > 0:14:15here on this rifle range.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Yes, I mean, the figures shown here are typical
0:14:18 > 0:14:20of rifle volunteers of the 1860s.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Marksmanship was very, very important.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26They were part-time soldiers, they were established in the early 1860s
0:14:26 > 0:14:30as a result of a French threat, and this does reflect that quite well.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Great, and of course wonderful with these stylised oak trees
0:14:34 > 0:14:37on either side, which just lends a certain something to it.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39The scale seems to me a little odd,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43but, especially the size of the leaves, when you take an oak leaf
0:14:43 > 0:14:48and look at the size of that chap's head, but an amazing piece.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51So what is it you'd like to know from me about this piece?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Well, obviously we know a little bit of the background,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56the person it was presented to, and everything else,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58but one of the things that's been exercising us is
0:14:58 > 0:15:00who made it and what's it made from?
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Right. Well, I can answer both those questions.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06First, it is made of silver.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08It's not electroplated.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Of course, that does make quite a difference
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and we do know the name of the maker.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18In fact, if you look onto the leg of the soldier there, we can see that
0:15:18 > 0:15:23it was made in Birmingham in 1867
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and William Gough was the maker.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31We do of course have to consider things like value.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34I would think, conservatively,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36if it came on the market,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39with its extraordinary nature,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41£15,000 - £20,000.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Right, yeah. We'll be sure to tell our insurers, I think!
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Not a bad idea. Mind you, I should imagine
0:15:47 > 0:15:50that the Royal Marines' security is probably pretty good!
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I don't think I'd like to mess with them!
0:15:52 > 0:15:53LAUGHTER
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Now, I know I'm looking at an engine room telegraph,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- the message from the bridge to the engine room.- That's right, yeah.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04You've got "Ahead, astern" and so on,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06every ship obviously has one or two of these.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09But this is a particular one, because it's from a submarine.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12It looks different, it's a different style, it's not on a stand,
0:16:12 > 0:16:13you know, all the usual things.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19But I can go so far. You need to fill me in with the rest.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22It's from the port engine of the submarine, Artemis.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26There was a bit of a disaster with the Artemis.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28It came back from the dockyard,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30it had been in the dry dock
0:16:30 > 0:16:32and was being refuelled
0:16:32 > 0:16:37and from a series of incompetent events, it sank at its moorings.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40There were cables run through hatches
0:16:40 > 0:16:43to supply power to the submarine. When it was being refuelled,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45obviously the boat got lower in the water,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and water started coming in the hatches,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and of course the hatches couldn't be shut.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Because of the cables. - Because of the cables.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- Now, where do you come into it? - I was a member of the crew.- Yeah.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56But I was on leave at the time,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59so the first I heard about the accident was,
0:16:59 > 0:17:00somebody came in the pub
0:17:00 > 0:17:04and said, "Your submarine's on television! It's sunk!"
0:17:04 > 0:17:08So the ship sank at her moorings, everybody got off,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11there were no deaths, so it was really about red faces all round.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Oh, very much so, yes.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16I think, in fact, we've got a photograph here, haven't we?
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- Yeah, yes.- This shows the conning tower, bubbles still coming out.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- Yes.- And these people have presumably been trying to do
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- various things to stop it happening. - Yeah. An unstoppable event.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Now, why have we got this?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I've been looking for a souvenir from it,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33but I've never been able to find one.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The submarine was moored out in the harbour for several years,
0:17:36 > 0:17:37waiting to be broken up for scrap.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40So she was abandoned, in effect, after the accident.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Yes, unrepairable.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44After it was scrapped, I went to the scrap yard and said,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46"have you got anything left from the Artemis?"
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And they said, "Well, yes, we've got this telegraph. Would you like it?"
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- But this is a prime object, isn't it?- Absolutely!
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I was amazed it was still there.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57I mean, it's the top of anybody's list, I'd have thought.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58Yeah, well, it came from the engine room
0:17:58 > 0:18:01which was where I used to work, as well.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03What I do like about it is the mark on the dial there,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- which was the water level. - That's the water line.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- That's the water level inside. - That's where it reached. Yeah.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Yeah, which was the fumes from the battery acid,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14just etched it very slightly above it, and left the mark.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Well, I think it's a great story because it's the sort of story
0:18:17 > 0:18:20that never gets told because it's about bungles,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22- it's not the great heroics we normally expect.- No.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26But you've got this great treasure, and it is a very important piece.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27It's also quite valuable.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32We're looking at £500, possibly £800,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- so I don't know what you paid for it, but...- £30.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- Oh, well, you did all right. - Oh, I did. Oh, yes.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44We see these on the Roadshow, not very often,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- just occasionally.- Right.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And they're plaques, and sometimes plates, by Picasso.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53And we know that because it says on the back "Picasso" here.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57So how did you come to own a plaque
0:18:57 > 0:19:02designed by perhaps the greatest artist of the 20th century?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04My brother-in-law's headmaster, Mr Mount,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08was a neighbour of Picasso in France,
0:19:08 > 0:19:13and he bought up some of Picasso's pottery throughout his lifetime.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- Right.- And he was prepared to sell one of them to me.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19And it's typical of his designs of the period.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Some have sort of influence by some of the prehistoric art
0:19:22 > 0:19:24discovered around that time in the caves of Lascaux,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and also sort of simplified, and I believe an art critic said about
0:19:27 > 0:19:31his work afterwards, that it was "indicative of a genius on holiday."
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- Oh, really? Oh. - And I rather like that,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36because you sort of have picked up on the whole a sort of seaside,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39beach-side scene, and that's what's going on here. He's applied that.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- It's got a sort of great holiday, warm feel to it, hasn't it?- Yes.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45You can almost imagine the bathers sitting in the sun,
0:19:45 > 0:19:46and then diving off the top there.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50"The plongeur" I, believe would be the correct title for this piece.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53- Right.- And this piece was designed by Picasso in 1956.- '56?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- 1956.- OK.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58He started working at the Madoura Pottery near Vallauris
0:19:58 > 0:20:00in the south of France in the late 1940s,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02and this was a period of great happiness for him,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and I think that shows in his work again.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08And he worked all the way through until the 1970s.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10When you think of Picasso's plates and Picasso's plaques,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13you hope to see something like a bull or a goat
0:20:13 > 0:20:18or a stylised face, that really collectors are looking for.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19You've got divers.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22It's a charming piece, but not quite the sort of prime Picasso
0:20:22 > 0:20:25that one would hope, from one of these editions.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28And although he designed it, he didn't produce these.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30The editions were produced by other people,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34so it's a Picasso design, and the marks on the back bear that out.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37So although not sort of prime Picasso stuff, I still think
0:20:37 > 0:20:40you'd be looking, if you were to put it into auction, at, I suppose,
0:20:40 > 0:20:45somewhere in the region of, well,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48maybe sort of £2,000 to £3,000.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Really? I'm amazed!
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- I thought it would be hundreds! - Really?- Yes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It's not often that I come across what is, to me,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03almost a completely new art form.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05But these certainly take the biscuit.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I think they're extraordinary.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- Can I open one of these out? - Please do.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It just looks like a roll of paper at first,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and then you hold it up to the light, and it's a watermark,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17with the most amazing image on it.
0:21:17 > 0:21:231872, TH Saunders. Presumably they're the paper maker, are they?
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Yes, he was a paper maker in Darenth, in Kent,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- and he married my husband's great aunt.- Yes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34And that's about all we know about it, really.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38And it came down through my husband's family, to us.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Well, I confess, I've got a friend who's a paper historian,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46and I phoned him very quickly and I've learned all about them.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Oh, really? Tell me!
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Well, I'm fascinated by them, completely fascinated.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56They're paper samples, he took them to art fairs...
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Art exhibitions.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01..and the Great Exhibition - and look at that one -
0:22:01 > 0:22:02and he'd show these,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06and he won a prize for them in the Great Exhibition of 1851,
0:22:06 > 0:22:07as early as that.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10And he would take orders for paper from people, as a result,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- sold an awful lot of paper. - Oh, yes. How interesting.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15And the way they're made is very clever.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18What he did is, he got a wax mould, made the image
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and then you'd get a brass mesh, and you'd put it between
0:22:22 > 0:22:27the two halves of the sculpture and press it together,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and the brass, the shape of the sculpture
0:22:30 > 0:22:32would be transferred to the brass mesh,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and as you know, with laid paper,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40the paper pulp is in a vat and you pull the mesh up through it
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and the paper lies on top of the mesh.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47That dries and becomes laid paper.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Now, if you're doing that with a shaped brass mesh,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54then you're going to get some thin areas and some thick areas,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and the thin areas of course allow more light through,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59and the thick areas less, and thus
0:22:59 > 0:23:01the image is transferred to the paper.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02Very intricate.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Well, I didn't know that, until you showed me these.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06They're extraordinary.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And that one is of course the Silver Jubilee, 1935.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14- That's George, isn't it? - Yes, it is.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Absolutely marvellous. And then the last one is Queen Mary, 1935.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Quite extraordinary, and I've never seen anything so exciting
0:23:23 > 0:23:25and interesting, or at least I haven't for quite a while.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I'm so glad, thank you.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I don't think they're worth a huge amount of money.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33I can't find any being sold.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I think they've got to be worth, nonetheless,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37something in the region of £50 or £60 each,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41so the whole value here, probably about £300.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Yes, thank you.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- Maximum.- Yes.- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52You know, I've always thought that the skull and crossbones flag
0:23:52 > 0:23:54was something to do with pirates,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56but you know something different
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- about this particular flag, don't you?- Yes.- Tell me about it.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03It's a Second World War submarine Jolly Roger flag.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08It shows the symbols of what the submarine sunk.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Top ones are torpedoes fired,
0:24:13 > 0:24:14some Japanese ships.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21The guns and stars was when the deck gun was used.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And each one of these stars represents
0:24:23 > 0:24:25a Japanese ship that they have sunk?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Yeah. And this is cloak-and-dagger operations.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30And I believe every British submarine
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- had a skull and crossbones - a Jolly Roger flag.- Yes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Who would have made it?
0:24:34 > 0:24:35This was made by a sail maker.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37- Possibly on board? - On board, yes.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41So which submarine does this Jolly Roger relate to?
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- The HMS Tantalus, my late father's submarine.- Right.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48He was a telegraphist on board,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and they had two jobs to do.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- One was - the main one - was telegraphist.- Yes.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And second one, he had to fire the deck gun.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02So he was responsible for some of these ships that were sunk,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04- Japanese enemy ships that were sunk. - Yes.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And where did HMS Tantalus serve most of her life?
0:25:07 > 0:25:12In South China Seas, they were based in Perth, Western Australia.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- Now you've got some photographs as well.- Yes.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17You've brought these two photographs, for example.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Now, this first one amazes me because it shows a Jolly Roger flag.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- That.- That is this flag?
0:25:25 > 0:25:29That's this, and my father is standing directly underneath.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30- This chap here?- Yeah.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34- That's your father?- In the ratings uniform, all the others are officers.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36- Yes.- Captain.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40The other photograph shows a group of sailors,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- presumably sub-mariners. - Oh, they're all submariners.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44- In this old car.- Yeah, Austin.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- An Austin Seven, is it?- Seven.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- And is your father here? Is he one of those?- That is...
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- This one here in the middle?- Yeah.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53So when he was allowed on shore,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56he must have had a pretty good time, I guess. The weather was great.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58All the crew had girlfriends,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02and as this submarine was sailing out of Fremantle Harbour,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06which is next to Perth, the captain was on the conning tower
0:26:06 > 0:26:08with his binoculars, looking around
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and he shouted out to his next in command.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14He said, "Is that Brown on the pier with that girl?"
0:26:15 > 0:26:18He said, "Get a boat and pick him up, now!"
0:26:18 > 0:26:24So - I didn't know this - his best man at his wedding,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28who's still alive, told me the story.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31He said, "Your dad was going to jump ship for his girlfriend
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and stay in Australia".
0:26:33 > 0:26:35And I wouldn't have been here now if he'd stayed there.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- So he was going to elope?- Yeah.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40- Good grief! - Because a lot of them did.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Well, do you know - gosh -
0:26:42 > 0:26:45I have to say that I don't think I've ever seen
0:26:45 > 0:26:51a Jolly Roger submarine flag come up for auction ever before.
0:26:51 > 0:26:57I think, from a commercial point of view, if ever this was sold,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- I think the flag, together with, you've got other photographs?- Yes.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03And documents and things?
0:27:03 > 0:27:04His service record.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06You see, that's important.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I think it's going to be worth
0:27:08 > 0:27:10something in the region of...
0:27:12 > 0:27:15..£5,000 or £6,000.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Yeah, yes.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23My father died when he was 46, so it's what's left of his life,
0:27:23 > 0:27:24you know.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I'm quite proud.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Now, this album has the initials IB on the front cover.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Can you tell me who that stands for?
0:27:49 > 0:27:54IB stands for Ivy Bale, who was my great aunt.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55And is this Ivy?
0:27:55 > 0:27:59This is Ivy and this is a photograph of Ivy in her later years,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02in amongst the family with her three sisters.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03Very nice, very nice indeed.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Now, we have an album full of original pencil drawings,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10celebrities of the day. All signed, I think.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And how did she get them signed?
0:28:12 > 0:28:16She sent each and every one of them off to the recipient,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20who duly returned, some with simple comments, some with actual letters.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Do you know how she started, why she started this album?
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Don't particularly know why she started, but she was interested
0:28:27 > 0:28:32in the idea of fame and I think the idea of celebrity in days gone by
0:28:32 > 0:28:35was somewhat different from the idea of celebrity now.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36Indeed, indeed.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Well, I think you'd have trouble sending a picture
0:28:39 > 0:28:42to the Prime Minister now, and getting it signed and sent back,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45which is exactly what we have over here.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48This is Winston Churchill, it's a pencil drawing,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51an original pencil drawing signed by Ivy.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53And Churchill has also signed it along the bottom in ink.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56That's a great picture. Very nice indeed.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59If we go back to the album for a moment,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01well, we've got a lot of good names in here.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Turning the page, we've got two of Madam Pavlova.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Now, she's a good autograph. People will pay money for those.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Condition's a little bit difficult, but could be restored
0:29:11 > 0:29:15and they're period signatures from about the '30s, which is nice.
0:29:15 > 0:29:21A very strong portrait of Maria Callas dated 1967,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24it's quite difficult to believe that that's a pencil drawing,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28it's so dramatic and has such a photographic quality,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31signed clearly. That's a collector's item, definitely.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36And moving on, Monty. Very typical portrait of Monty,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39signed again as Field Marshall.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42And right towards the end, we end up with Neil Armstrong,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44the first man to walk on the moon.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Pencil drawing again of the moon's surface signed boldly
0:29:47 > 0:29:52in blue ink by Neil Armstrong, so that's very nice.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Value-wise, you've got to tot up all the various people you've got
0:29:55 > 0:29:59in here and that's a good one, that's potentially about £1,000
0:29:59 > 0:30:01at auction.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06Mr Churchill over here is certainly £500, £600, £700.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Most of them in here will be £20, £30 at least.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11And there are others which will be a few hundred.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14I've been through and done a rough tot up and I think
0:30:14 > 0:30:18we're looking at an auction value of between £4,000 and £6,000.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24- Ah.- Gosh!- So thank you, Ivy, your work is much appreciated!
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Am I right in thinking that this is a bit of a homecoming for you?
0:30:32 > 0:30:33Yes, indeed.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36I was here in 1980 when I retired from the Marines.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39And I was hauled out of this very spot on a gun carriage,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41which is customary when you retire.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43You were hauled out on a gun carriage?!
0:30:43 > 0:30:44Well, yes.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47And am I right in thinking you were the Commanding Officer here?
0:30:47 > 0:30:48Yes, I was, yes.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51- Well, it's lovely to have you back. - A pleasure.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56But you've brought with you a very unusual English table clock
0:30:56 > 0:31:02which was made right at the end of the 18th century, around 1790 or so,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05but what we all find interesting is when we come across objects
0:31:05 > 0:31:08that have a relationship to the location that we're shooting in.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Does this have any relationship at all?
0:31:10 > 0:31:13- Not with the barracks here, no. - Right.
0:31:13 > 0:31:14It's an heirloom.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17It belonged to my great great great grandfather
0:31:17 > 0:31:19who lived in a house in Kent.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23And there's a painting that I've seen of the drawing room of that house,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26in which this clock appears, and that was early 19th century.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29It must have been in the family for 200 plus years,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33and I just get a lot of satisfaction out of that when I wind it.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35And it still tells me the time pretty accurately.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37- Does it?- Mmm.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39It should do, it should keep accurate time,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43because it's an interesting combination of a domestic clock,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45and it has a slightly sort of academic,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48almost scientific purpose to it as well.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52The maker is Thomas Walder of Southampton,
0:31:52 > 0:31:54but we don't know a great deal about him.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57It's the sort of clock that a collector,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01or someone that's very interested in timekeeping,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03would commission a clockmaker to make for them.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06And certainly, stylistically, the whole thing looks like
0:32:06 > 0:32:09it's a one-off because it doesn't comply with a normal clock dial.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13So, very briefly, let's just run through what it does.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16In the arch, we've got a strike-and-silent lever.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19And next to that we've got what we call an up-and-down dial,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21which regulates the height of the pendulum,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24- which therefore regulates the speed at which the clock runs.- Yes, yes.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Then we've got these two curious, subsidiary,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30rather lovely painted dials.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34This one is the phase of the moon, which goes to 29 and a half days,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37which is the age of the moon, the full cycle.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39And this one shows the date.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44And then we have a seconds ring, an hour ring and an outer minute ring.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And that format of dial, where you have the seconds,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49hours and minutes split up, is called a regulator dial
0:32:49 > 0:32:53and that stems back, way back into the late 17th century,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55where, when you wanted to keep precision time,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57you divided the hours, minutes and seconds up.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01But it isn't a precision movement,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03it's a very domestic-quality movement.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05- So it's a...- Yes, a compromise.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06But it's a compromise.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08It's a good word, it's the right word to use.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13But it is a true collector's clock, let's make no bones about it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16At auction, it has to be worth
0:33:16 > 0:33:20between £15,000 and £20,000.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24It's absolutely super.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26It's probably the nicest domestic table clock
0:33:26 > 0:33:28- I have ever seen on a Roadshow. - Really?
0:33:28 > 0:33:30Thank you very much for bringing it along.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31Great pleasure, thank you.
0:33:35 > 0:33:36See this leather collar here?
0:33:36 > 0:33:39Do you remember I was telling you at the beginning of the programme,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42it's what earned the Royal Marines the nickname "bootnecks"
0:33:42 > 0:33:44because they wore that very uncomfortable piece of leather
0:33:44 > 0:33:46under the collar of their uniform.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Now, Robert Bruce, you run the Royal Marines Museum here.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51I should say, Robert Bruce, no relation.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53More's the shame!
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Well, what a shame. Who is this fine chap?
0:33:55 > 0:33:58This fine chap is Captain James Kettel,
0:33:58 > 0:34:04who joined the Royal Marines in 1798 aged 17 and served for 36 years.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06And he was an artist, wasn't he?
0:34:06 > 0:34:09He was an artist indeed, and we believe that this
0:34:09 > 0:34:13is a self-portrait that he painted in around about 1810.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15And in the book here?
0:34:15 > 0:34:18This is a book of sketches which has come to us only recently,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21in the last six months or so.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22And these are done by James Kettel?
0:34:22 > 0:34:26These are all painted by him, and depict the service
0:34:26 > 0:34:28that he carried out in different parts of the country.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32And there are some beautifully descriptive paintings here.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35So he did time at sea, serving both at Trafalgar
0:34:35 > 0:34:39where he served on HMS Tonnant, but then he did land service,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42like many Royal Marines did, both then and indeed today.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43And was he an official artist,
0:34:43 > 0:34:45or was he just doing this for his own pleasure?
0:34:45 > 0:34:47No, no, he was doing it for his own pleasure.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Did he live a long and happy life? Did he die in a battle?
0:34:50 > 0:34:52He didn't live a very long and happy life.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54He was actually flung out of the Royal Marines.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- No!- Because he went bankrupt.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58And because he'd been put into debtors' prison,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01he didn't turn up for parade, so he was dismissed from the Royal Marines.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Gosh, that seems a bit harsh.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05It was a bit harsh, but I think life was quite harsh
0:35:05 > 0:35:06for those in those days.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08So that was the end of his service in the Royal Marines?
0:35:08 > 0:35:10And that was the end of his service.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12- He'd done 36 years, which is a long time.- Goodness me.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16And these paintings, which is the loveliest thing about this story,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20these paintings have been in his family ever since they were done.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23And his great great grandson, Michael Kettel,
0:35:23 > 0:35:27came to us only about six months ago and revealed these paintings to us
0:35:27 > 0:35:29and it was the first we knew of them.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Well, James Kettel, you may have been chucked out
0:35:31 > 0:35:34of the Royal Marines, but we salute you today.
0:35:34 > 0:35:35Absolutely!
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Well, what a calm scene.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Sleeping baby, quiet surroundings.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Wait a minute, though!
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Wait a minute, it's waking up!
0:35:50 > 0:35:54Ah! And yawning and ready for the day.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57What happens next? "Oh, what's happening now?
0:35:57 > 0:35:59"This looks very exciting, am I at the Antiques Roadshow?
0:35:59 > 0:36:02"I've always wanted to be there."
0:36:02 > 0:36:05"Oh, no, I hate the Antiques Roadshow!"
0:36:05 > 0:36:07SHE LAUGHS
0:36:07 > 0:36:10It's the most disturbing doll. I can't even look at that face.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Would you mind if I turn this face round so that we've got
0:36:13 > 0:36:15- the sleepy doll again? - Absolutely not.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18I think that's probably OK. Do you like it?
0:36:18 > 0:36:21I hate it. I hate it, I don't like dolls.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Four faces and a swinging head is too much.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27It's like something out of The Exorcist in a way, isn't it?
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Absolutely, absolutely, yeah.
0:36:29 > 0:36:35Bizarre, but I have to say, creepy and rather sort of unattractive
0:36:35 > 0:36:40as it might be, these dolls are sought after, and I think they were
0:36:40 > 0:36:45probably quite creepy at the time, because not many of them were made.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50This is almost certainly made by a company called Karl Berger,
0:36:50 > 0:36:55based in Sonnenberg in Germany. And the company started in the 1890s
0:36:55 > 0:36:58and went right the way through the 1920s.
0:36:58 > 0:37:04I mean, I would say that the doll could be as late as 1925.
0:37:04 > 0:37:11This company was famous for making multi-headed dolls.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16And this is an unusual one, first of all because it's made of -
0:37:16 > 0:37:19not porcelain - it's made out of a kind of composition.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23But I would have said the most extraordinary thing is that
0:37:23 > 0:37:26it's four faces, and he's made two faces and three faces,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29but four faces are really particularly unusual.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31They cover every emotion, don't they, really?
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Um, in pretty good condition.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38I've had a little look underneath, and the body's not bad.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43And very often, these papier-mache fingers get damaged,
0:37:43 > 0:37:44and they're not.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47So whose was it? How has it got down to you?
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Well, it was given to my auntie who was born in the early 1920s,
0:37:50 > 0:37:51that's all I know.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54She had it all her life and then she gave it to my mother
0:37:54 > 0:37:57a few years before she died, so my mother's had it for five years.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- And did they both love it? - They both love it.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02- It's an age thing. - Mmm, must be.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Maybe when you get older, you'll grow to like it.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08No, no, it will not happen, that won't happen!
0:38:08 > 0:38:10As far as value's concerned,
0:38:10 > 0:38:14I'm finding it slightly tricky to value it, because I know
0:38:14 > 0:38:19that the ceramic-headed dolls are sought after.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21The composition ones don't come up that often.
0:38:21 > 0:38:22But I'm going to stick my neck out
0:38:22 > 0:38:27and say that it's going to be something between £1,000 and £1,500.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31But it's just its quirkiness that I think will make some people
0:38:31 > 0:38:34really want it, so thanks very much for bringing it along.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37No, thank you very much, it's very interesting, thank you.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43You know, our working day is composed of thousands of people
0:38:43 > 0:38:48bringing along jewellery, gold, beads, rings and brooches.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52You have brought along something rather special.
0:38:52 > 0:38:58A dark blue velvet box. Contained within, a gold bangle
0:38:58 > 0:39:02painted in the centre with a miniature of Queen Victoria,
0:39:02 > 0:39:07in a diamond frame on a gold wirework bangle back.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11Now, is this a family piece, or what's the story behind it?
0:39:11 > 0:39:16My late wife, she was very interested in Victoria generally
0:39:16 > 0:39:19and we were living up in the Cotswolds at the time
0:39:19 > 0:39:23and I got to know a local jeweller there very well.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And we bought one or two bits and pieces from him,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27and he phoned me up one day and said,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30"I've got something you really must come along and have a look at."
0:39:30 > 0:39:34- I should think so. - And that was how we acquired it.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36And when your wife saw it, did she fall in love with it?
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Oh, very much so, yes, very much so.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40She wouldn't take it off for the first week!
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Really? I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47You know, there are several puzzles about this bangle.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I should say that at the back of the bangle itself,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52and you know this, but it's worth pointing out,
0:39:52 > 0:39:56there is a royal crown, "VR" engraved there.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57Yes, yes.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Victoria Regina on the back with a crown motif.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Now, what does that suggest to you?
0:40:03 > 0:40:06That it was commissioned by the Queen for presents,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09or appreciation to friends of hers.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Well, or even perhaps something like a lady-in-waiting...
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- Yes, indeed.- ..At her wedding in around about 1840.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- Yes. - But I've got a problem with that.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19Really?
0:40:19 > 0:40:23And that is that the bangle is in a box by a jeweller
0:40:23 > 0:40:27called Frazer and Haws and they didn't really get started
0:40:27 > 0:40:29till around about 1869-1870.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34- I see, yes, yes. - So here's my possible solution.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38I think that the centre piece, which incidentally,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41when you look at the back of it, can be taken apart,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44- because there's a little tiny wing nut there.- Yes, yes.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47..May have come from a piece of jewellery such as a ring,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52or brooch, coinciding with her wedding, 1840.
0:40:52 > 0:40:53Yes.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58Then at some point 25, 30 years down the line,
0:40:58 > 0:41:03this piece was then remounted as a diamond-set bangle.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07So I think there's a possibility that this is a marriage,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09- literally a marriage... - Yes, yes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13..Of different components. Let's move on to the value.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17Anything with an enamel miniature of Queen Victoria in a diamond frame
0:41:17 > 0:41:21has got to be highly desirable, would you not agree?
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Well, it was for us, yes.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- I mean, your wife loved it, you loved it.- Yes, yes.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Everybody loves it, it's a wonderful piece of jewellery.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34I think that if one were to put this bangle into an auction
0:41:34 > 0:41:37with the right amount of research that's been done on it,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41my feeling is it's worth something like £5,000 to £7,000.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45Right, thank you. Best news I've had today!
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Well, this looks like a real one-off. Do you know who made it?
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Well, all I know is that my grandmother was given it
0:41:59 > 0:42:03about 15-20 years ago, by a lady from Birmingham,
0:42:03 > 0:42:08who she believed had made it in the 1940s during the Second World War.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10And it was sewn on blackout blind,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12and that's all that I'm aware of, really.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15And she kind of gave to me with the premise,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18"I don't want it, you do with it what you will."
0:42:18 > 0:42:21To me it feels like it's a real sort of make-do-and-mend.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24But actually, it's even better than that, isn't it?
0:42:24 > 0:42:28It's kind of make-do-and-be-creative in the midst of the war.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Yeah, yeah. I mean, just the attention to detail
0:42:31 > 0:42:33of all of the flowers and the butterflies.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35It's very cleverly done,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38even the leaves have sort of got all the colours of green in them.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That variation of green, yeah.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- She knew what she was doing. - She sure did.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44- It's a real... it's a real work of art.- Yeah.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- But it's also a real one-off. - Yeah.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51In fact, when it was made then, with this blackout blind material
0:42:51 > 0:42:54in the 1940s, it would have been quite old hat,
0:42:54 > 0:42:59because this is more the kind of decoration that you expect to see
0:42:59 > 0:43:04on 1920s and 1930s fire screens or printed on tea services.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06It's actually... the bulk of it's pretty good condition,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10there's a touch of moth just here and some brilliant sticky tape.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- Black duct tape!- Yes, black gaffer.
0:43:13 > 0:43:18In any event, I completely agree with you, it's a real work of art
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- and really a very accomplished piece of sewing.- Yeah.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24So I think top marks to whoever made it.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Absolutely, yeah.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29And at the moment I think it would be worth around £400.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Yeah, yeah.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Now, when you brought this out of your bag this morning,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39I thought, this is just the most terrific piece.
0:43:39 > 0:43:44I love bronzes. OK, I'm a man, you know, so I'm bound to respond to it
0:43:44 > 0:43:48in a particular way, but I just think the sense of movement,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51the life it captures, it's just terrific.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55I must admit the sculptor, Yuriovich,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57- wasn't very familiar to me.- No.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59But you know all about him, don't you?
0:43:59 > 0:44:01I know quite a lot about him.
0:44:01 > 0:44:06I met him in the '50s when he came to the pottery for clay,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10and he asked if he could do a bust of me, which is this one.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13- And you were how old? - I was eight years old then.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- Yeah.- My parents were very worried about having it done at all,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19because he'd never met me before!
0:44:19 > 0:44:22So they insisted that he came once a week, and I sat for him
0:44:22 > 0:44:23with them watching.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25What was it like, sitting for a sculptor?
0:44:25 > 0:44:29My father said I'd never sit still, but he told me so many
0:44:29 > 0:44:31captivating stories that I did sit still.
0:44:31 > 0:44:36Working for the Tsar, moving to France, he had a Legion d'Honneur
0:44:36 > 0:44:39little badge as well, which he was very proud of also.
0:44:39 > 0:44:40- Wonderful stories.- Yeah.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42And he could make them up as he went along as well.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45- I'm sure it didn't matter! - It didn't matter.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48He first exhibited in Paris in about 1909,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51so he was obviously within that sort of Paris ambience.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53- Yes. - And I think that's very important,
0:44:53 > 0:44:57- because this amazing figure actually goes back to Degas.- Ah.
0:44:57 > 0:45:03If you think of those Degas ballet dancer bronzes of the 1870s-80s.
0:45:03 > 0:45:04Right.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08That was a real revolution. It was carrying on from Rodin.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10- Ah, yes.- It was presenting the human figure
0:45:10 > 0:45:13in ways it had never been seen before.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15And dancers appealed to sculptors
0:45:15 > 0:45:18because they were flexible, they could achieve amazing positions.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20- Yes. - He may have ended up in Britain,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23- but his whole sort of sense and training...- Yes, yes.
0:45:23 > 0:45:24..is Paris-driven.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27I think the point is that with these pieces,
0:45:27 > 0:45:32which are to do with the Russians' rediscovery of their history,
0:45:32 > 0:45:33in a sense, the sky's the limit.
0:45:35 > 0:45:40Within a European context, this piece - because it's so terrific -
0:45:40 > 0:45:46- is probably worth £3,000 to £5,000, possibly £6,000.- Right.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49- But I love the idea of you sitting there talking to him.- Sitting still.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51And him engrossing you with amazing stories.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53And he did, all the stories that he had.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00"N.A.Finch Esq. VC".
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Now, I saw that name when I was walking round
0:46:03 > 0:46:07the Royal Marines Museum. Just remind me how he won the VC?
0:46:07 > 0:46:10He was awarded the Victoria Cross at the sea battle at Zeebrugge.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13First World War, about 1918.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16And he was one of the few survivors at that battle.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18It says here, "The Queen's Bodyguard",
0:46:18 > 0:46:20so when was he performing that role?
0:46:20 > 0:46:22When he was decommissioned,
0:46:22 > 0:46:26he was appointed Sergeant Major of Queen's Bodyguard.
0:46:26 > 0:46:32He stood by the King's coffin when it was lying in state.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34- King George VI? - King George VI.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38He also walked by the gun carriage for the King's funeral
0:46:38 > 0:46:43and also walked by the Queen's Coronation coach for her Coronation.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47When he came out of the military, he joined Lloyds Bank as a messenger.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52My father worked for Lloyds Bank and I was given this from Finch
0:46:52 > 0:46:54for my stamp collection, as a nine-year-old.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57As a nine-year-old! Now, that's quite a stamp, isn't it?
0:46:57 > 0:47:04Well, that's dated March 1952, so that's a month after the King died.
0:47:04 > 0:47:05Now, let's just look at it a minute,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09because this is an envelope with the mark of Buckingham Palace here.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11You must have been rather chuffed with this?
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Well, not very many other kids of nine, at school,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17had an envelope like this, so it was rather special.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20- So you've had this sat in a drawer, what, for 60 years or so?- Yes.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22What are you planning to do with it now?
0:47:22 > 0:47:25Well, I thought it should go to the museum here.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28They've got his VC, they've got some of his personal effects,
0:47:28 > 0:47:32and it seems appropriate that this should go with it.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Well, that's incredibly kind of you.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38So if you're talking to them, can you pass it over to them?
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Well, I'd be honoured. I'd be delighted to do that.
0:47:40 > 0:47:41That's so generous of you.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43It's a pleasure, it's a pleasure.
0:47:47 > 0:47:52Now, this self-portrait is by, and of, George Richmond,
0:47:52 > 0:47:59who, at the age of 16 in 1827, closed the eyes of William Blake,
0:47:59 > 0:48:04the great painter/poet. That's ten years before Queen Victoria
0:48:04 > 0:48:08comes to the throne. And this painting was done in 1886.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12It must be one of the very last things he ever painted.
0:48:12 > 0:48:13Tell me about it.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17Well, there is an inscription on the back, written in his own handwriting.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Oh, is there? Yeah.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23And it says that, "This is the last picture that I will ever paint."
0:48:23 > 0:48:25- Yes. - "My eyes are failing me,
0:48:25 > 0:48:29"the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Amen."
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Written on the back.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33That's marvellous. That's really quite moving,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36because he was one of England's great painters, I think.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38You know, when he was a disciple of William Blake,
0:48:38 > 0:48:40he was a member of the Shoreham Ancients.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43His great friends were Samuel Palmer
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and they met at the house of John Linnell.
0:48:45 > 0:48:50Palmer said of Blake that he held the keys to the English imagination.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54And there's that dimension, the romantic imagination of the English,
0:48:54 > 0:48:59that comes flooding into English art at about that time.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01And George Richmond is a vehicle for it.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04I mean, later, there's not a single important person
0:49:04 > 0:49:07in the land of England who doesn't have his portrait done
0:49:07 > 0:49:11by George Richmond, but always in the most human way.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13A man so interested in humanity and the psychology of people
0:49:13 > 0:49:15and such a fluid painter.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18This is a very emotional thing, it seems to me,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21with his glasses and his failing eyesight.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23All his life, he painted himself, didn't he?
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Yes, there are probably about nine or ten self-portraits,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30a lot of them in the National Portrait Gallery
0:49:30 > 0:49:32and other galleries around the world.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35But this came down through the family,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39- presumably because it was his last. - You're related to the artist?
0:49:39 > 0:49:43Yes, he was my great great grandfather, so a direct descendant.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- Direct descent. - Through his daughter.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Now, is that his daughter?
0:49:47 > 0:49:49- That is his daughter. - So that's Laura?
0:49:49 > 0:49:51- Laura, yes. - What a pretty girl.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54And presumably this is a great deal earlier than that, then?
0:49:54 > 0:49:56- This must be about. what, 18...- That's 1850-odd.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59- 50, yes.- Well, she was born in 1841. - Right.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02So if you assume she's about ten...
0:50:02 > 0:50:04It's quite a quick sketch for him, isn't it?
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I mean, he's normally more finished. But nonetheless, it shows him
0:50:07 > 0:50:10at the height of his fluency and the powers that I was talking about.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14And it was around about this time that he started developing into oils
0:50:14 > 0:50:17- from watercolours, which was... - And miniatures.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20And miniatures, yes, and I have one here.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24Ah. That is so pretty, and who's that?
0:50:24 > 0:50:30That is of his wife, painted for their marriage in 1830.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32They eloped to Gretna Green.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34What, because her father didn't approve?
0:50:34 > 0:50:36Father wouldn't give his permission for them to be married.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38That's terrifically romantic.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41And they had a lifelong love affair, and when she died,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43he was absolutely devastated.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Oh, dear, a very romantic story. I'll give you that back safely.
0:50:46 > 0:50:47Thank you.
0:50:47 > 0:50:53So, in terms of dates, we're talking about 1830, 1850
0:50:53 > 0:50:55and of course 1886.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56And really. these three pictures
0:50:56 > 0:50:58tell the whole story of Victorian art,
0:50:58 > 0:51:00or at least portraiture.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Now, presumably, because they're family pictures,
0:51:02 > 0:51:04you've never valued them, or anything like that?
0:51:04 > 0:51:07But I've got to do that. Shall we start with the miniature?
0:51:07 > 0:51:10- Yes.- Well, you know, they're historically important,
0:51:10 > 0:51:12so there's that dimension.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15Slightly faded, unfortunately, but not very much.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18Very alive, such a pretty thing, and so personal.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21I think I've probably got to put £10,000 on that.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26On this very pretty picture of Laura, well, it's heaven.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29I think probably £18,000.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33And then for the self-portrait, to me,
0:51:33 > 0:51:36that's a very, very powerful thing, it tells such a big story,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39which we've only been able to skim today.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43I think probably about £30,000, something like that.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Good heavens!
0:51:47 > 0:51:50Well, it's not for sale, at the moment anyway!
0:51:55 > 0:51:58You know, sometimes you look at a piece of silver and you think,
0:51:58 > 0:52:02"Oh, if only it had this, or if only it was by so-and-so",
0:52:02 > 0:52:05but that doesn't apply here.
0:52:05 > 0:52:11This is a piece that has everything it should have, in spades.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14It is a most wonderful piece of silver,
0:52:14 > 0:52:17which has been gilded, of course, so it's silver-gilt.
0:52:17 > 0:52:23Now, here we've got - which adds a certain something to it -
0:52:23 > 0:52:29the arms of King George III. But how has it ended up with you?
0:52:29 > 0:52:34A relation of mine was a friend of a lady
0:52:34 > 0:52:39called Lady Hester Stanhope, who was actually the niece
0:52:39 > 0:52:44of William Pitt and was William Pitt's housekeeper.
0:52:44 > 0:52:49And William Pitt gave it to Lady Hester Stanhope
0:52:49 > 0:52:53and my relation was one of her closest friends.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- He inherited it from her. - Wonderful.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00And it has trickled down my family.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03- And I now own it.- Right.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06So, we're right at the beginning of the Regency here
0:53:06 > 0:53:09and, in fact, if we look at the dating,
0:53:09 > 0:53:15we've got the London hallmark there for 1805.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19Now the makers, Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23- Yes.- Two of the greatest goldsmiths that have ever lived.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27- Yes.- And the important thing here is that they worked...
0:53:27 > 0:53:31..in fact they were in partnership, with Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35- Rundell, Bridge and Rundell were the Royal goldsmiths.- Yes.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38So, this shell, which you might imagine
0:53:38 > 0:53:40to have been chased out of the body,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44in fact is cast and applied to the body.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47All of these sections are casting,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50and, in fact, if you look on the inside there,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53- you can actually see it's perfectly smooth there.- Yes.
0:53:53 > 0:53:54- Because of the application.- Yes.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Everything made in the very finest possible way.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01And, of course, we've got an ivory handle there,
0:54:01 > 0:54:06it wouldn't be anything else but ivory with this firm.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09And the triangular base again, so typical of the period.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13- Mm-hmm.- But wherever you look, Greek elements coming in,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16all these things, so important at this time.
0:54:16 > 0:54:22But, of course, one thing we haven't considered is value.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25You've got a Royal piece. Now, that does make a bit of a difference.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28In fact, a very big difference.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31I've been mulling it over
0:54:31 > 0:54:35and I think you'd be hard pushed
0:54:35 > 0:54:37to be able to get that today
0:54:37 > 0:54:40under £50,000.
0:54:40 > 0:54:41< GASPS NEARBY
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Yes.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46And if it went on significantly beyond that,
0:54:46 > 0:54:48it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51- Right, well, thank you very much. - Thank you.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55I knew it was worth a few pounds, but I didn't know quite how much.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Well, there's a very good reason that you have brought this along,
0:55:00 > 0:55:01isn't there?
0:55:01 > 0:55:04There is. This has caused arguments at home.
0:55:04 > 0:55:05Love it.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08I tend to pick up things that I like if I see them around
0:55:08 > 0:55:10and I can afford them and my son thinks
0:55:10 > 0:55:12I should get rid of my clutter.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14And I did kind of promise that I wouldn't buy any more.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Then I came home with some glass.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19And this one, I got because I could see myself having a spritzer
0:55:19 > 0:55:22out of it, and I thought it was old, and I thought it was fine,
0:55:22 > 0:55:24and he doesn't and he wants me to bin it.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26So, I said I was going to bring it here today
0:55:26 > 0:55:28and find out if it was old or not.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31If I'm right, my stuff stays, and if I'm wrong,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34- I've got to get rid of some. - Wow, oh, brilliant!
0:55:34 > 0:55:37And what's actually really good fun about this
0:55:37 > 0:55:39is the fact that...
0:55:39 > 0:55:44- ..you're absolutely right. - Oh, yes! Yes, oh, yes!
0:55:44 > 0:55:46- You're right, the junk stays! - It stays!
0:55:46 > 0:55:48And good on you, because this glass
0:55:48 > 0:55:52is 250 years old!
0:55:52 > 0:55:54You're joking.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Would I joke?
0:55:56 > 0:55:57Oh, this is the best news!
0:55:57 > 0:56:00- I would joke, but... - I can't wait.
0:56:00 > 0:56:01I'm absolutely right.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06Because this is a really unusual English wine glass from 1750.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08So, how do we know this?
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Well, that's a very good question, so, first of all,
0:56:11 > 0:56:15that's English, Scottish possibly, but it's really English,
0:56:15 > 0:56:19made in London, it's...and it's quite unusual in that it's big!
0:56:19 > 0:56:20Big and heavy.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23It's really big because most mid-18th century wine glasses
0:56:23 > 0:56:26look like, you know, if you sipped out of them, you know,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29you'd get your tongue wet and it's empty, because they were designed
0:56:29 > 0:56:32to take a toasting mouthful, bottoms up, down the hatch.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Well, that's clearly a mid-18th century wine glass
0:56:35 > 0:56:38- that's got good size. - Right. I never realised.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41And then you look underneath the foot, which we've got to do,
0:56:41 > 0:56:43and it's a good old mess!
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Like a hand-made glass from 250 years ago, and you can't fake it.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49So, go on, how much did you pay?
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- I paid 50 pence.- 50 pence, cor!
0:56:52 > 0:56:55I'll give you a profit here, hold on a minute!
0:56:55 > 0:56:59- Um, 400 or 500 quid? - Honestly?
0:56:59 > 0:57:03Oh, God, I cannot wait to see him, thank you.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07- Thank you. Thank you very much. - Give him hell!- I will.
0:57:09 > 0:57:10Robert, we met you earlier on,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13and you're in charge of the Royal Marines Museum here.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15Thank you very much for putting on the sunshine.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17- It's been glorious. - It's lovely to take credit for that.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19It's been absolutely wonderful.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23You're celebrating your 350th anniversary
0:57:23 > 0:57:26and a visitor has come along to see us today
0:57:26 > 0:57:31and gave me something that he would like to donate to the museum,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34which is a letter that belonged to N.A. Finch,
0:57:34 > 0:57:37who won the VC, who you commemorate here in the museum.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39Absolutely we do, absolutely we do.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41Of course, and this is a letter from Buckingham Palace,
0:57:41 > 0:57:47it has the mourning, to commemorate the death of George VI at the time.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49It's been in his family since he was nine,
0:57:49 > 0:57:53for about 60 years or so, and he now thinks it should go to the museum
0:57:53 > 0:57:55and asked me to pass it over.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59This is absolutely wonderful. Finch is one of our heroes.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02- Yes.- Finch is a First World War VC,
0:58:02 > 0:58:05wounded, fired his machine gun at the Germans,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08despite everybody around him being killed,
0:58:08 > 0:58:10and he's a great, great hero of ours.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13Unusually awarded the Victoria Cross by ballot,
0:58:13 > 0:58:16which meant that his mates actually thought a lot of him.
0:58:16 > 0:58:17Because his mates voted for him.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Absolutely, so to have this to add to the collection,
0:58:20 > 0:58:22- it's just stupendous. - Good, oh well, I'm...
0:58:22 > 0:58:24- This is so exciting. - I'm so glad you're pleased.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Well, I shall do him a very good shake by the hand
0:58:27 > 0:58:29and buy him a very good pint of beer, too.
0:58:29 > 0:58:31You can buy me one as well.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34From the Antiques Roadshow, on the 350th anniversary
0:58:34 > 0:58:37of the Royal Marines, until next time, bye bye.